Jewish school wants to move ahead

On behalf of Heschel West, I would like to thank the community and The Acorn for their support of our project. We have worked so hard over the past several years to reach out to all concerned and incorporate a multitude of measures to address legitimate concerns that were raised.

Last week, the Los Angeles Regional Planning Commission unanimously agreed that we had mitigated all the potential impacts of our school. As The Acorn said in its editorial last week that the myths that we will “destroy” Old Agoura and subject our children to “toxic” exposures have been dispelled by the commission’s ruling.

The commission found that our traffic solutions, for which Heschel will pay, will fully mitigate the increased traffic. In fact, these traffic solutions are designed not only to mitigate the impacts of our school, but also to address future traffic from unrelated developments and ambient growth.

It is unfortunate that the city of Agoura Hills hints it will continue to oppose a project that has garnered such widespread community support. There are so many more constructive things to focus on. We hope the city council will heed the wishes of all the residents and not just a vocal minority.

Nevertheless, we are indeed grateful for the outpouring of support we have received. We are looking forward to building an asset for the entire community and contributing to the rich fabric of life in the Conejo Valley. Richard Wentz Vice president, Heschel West